Firefighters Battling House Fire Discover $700,000 In Pot Plants
POSTED: 10:54 am EDT April 17, 2006
WADSWORTH, Ohio -- Firefighters dousing a blaze in a new home were confused when the presumed owner suddenly fled -- until they found $700,000 worth of marijuana plants in the basement, officials said.
After firefighters extinguished the blaze, which started in the attic early Friday, authorities said they found 239 marijuana plants filling a quarter of the basement, which was wired throughout for indoor plant growing.
Investigators from the task force and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency were trying to find the two people who left the house.
The Medina County Drug Task Force and firefighters on Friday confiscated items from the home, including peat moss, 1,000-watt bulbs and large reflecting discs. The basement had no fire damage.
The marijuana-cultivating system was wired to the home's electrical system in a way that bypassed the meter, said Michael Barnhardt, acting director of the task force. Such wiring would help a grower avoid the large electric bills that clue in investigators, he said.
Copley said the cause of the fire was unknown, but it did not appear to be related to the marijuana operation or electrical wiring. The fire caused about $150,000 in damage.
